The Patriot Post® · Democrats' House Win Provides Trump a Foil

Get ready for subpoenas, investigations, obstruction, and maybe impeachment in 2019, as the one thing the underwhelming “blue wave” did manage to accomplish yesterday was flipping the House to Democrat control. Democrats needed to pick up 23 seats and they’ve gained at least 27. For perspective, however, Bill Clinton lost 52 House seats in 1994 and Barack Obama lost 63 House seats (and six Senate seats) in 2010. By comparison then, 2018 GOP losses are what former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer called “in line with the historical average” and what Demo cheerleaders in the Leftmedia consider a “heartbreaking” disappointment.

In fact, despite not being on the ballot and his party losing the House, President Donald Trump might be the night’s biggest winner. Yes, likely incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to push legislation antithetical to the Trump agenda — new gun laws, Demo-friendly changes to ObamaCare, expanded special protections for “LGBTQ” Americans, and legal status for “Dreamers” and no border wall — but those bills will die in the Senate, while Trump will find a willing partner for his desired infrastructure spending.

Most importantly, however, Trump does best when he has a “foil” — an enemy to run against. The #Resistance House Democrats, suffering as they do with Trump Derangement Syndrome, will fill that role perfectly. Pelosi even mused recently that “subpoena power is interesting … in terms of negotiating other subjects.” She claimed Tuesday night that the midterms were about “restoring the Constitution’s checks and balances on the Trump administration,” as well as that the House’s job will be “stopping the [Senate] GOP.”

Trump didn’t wait to fire back, declaring this morning, “If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!”

That Trump did so little to shore up GOP prospects in the House lends credence to the idea that he’s setting up just the foil he needs for reelection.

Notably, women favored Democrats by 19 points. Democrats were strong in the suburbs with more moderate candidates, though the leadership is still moving ever more to the extreme left. And Democrat Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may remain the “new face” of the party after her landslide win. Thus, the Demo majority may be difficult to maintain in 2020 — if the GOP narrows the gap with women.